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38-509: Spanish Cuba victory The Lopez Expedition (Spanish: Expedición López ) of 1851 was an attempt led by Narciso López to invade and seize control of Cuba which was then part of the Spanish Empire . The force comprising 420 Cuban emigres and American volunteers landed in western Cuba, where the invaders were defeated and captured by the Spanish forces. López and many of

76-547: A reef barrier. The westernmost point of Cuba, Cabo San Antonio , is located on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula , which is a National Park and a Biosphere Reserve . The city was founded by the Spanish as Nueva Filipinas (New Philippines ) in response to an influx of Asian laborers coming from the Philippine Islands to work on tobacco plantations and the city was renamed Pinar del Río in 1774. The province

114-492: Is adopted from López's expeditionary banner. Pinar del R%C3%ADo Province The Pinar del Río Province is one of the 15 provinces of Cuba . It is at the western end of the island of Cuba . The capital and largest city is Pinar del Río (191,081 pop. in 2022). The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges , the Cordillera de Guaniguanico , divided into

152-426: Is also considered one of Cuba's premier scuba diving destinations. Cayo Levisa , about two kilometers offshore, is known for its copious black coral and excursions to this cay are afforded by tour agencies based in the province. Another hugely popular location is María la Gorda beach, which boasts many nearby dive sites (as close as 200 m (220 yd) from the beach). An increasing number of tourists also visit

190-403: Is grown and harvested in the province, and shipped to Havana where they are rolled into cigars and exported. The best tobacco, used for more expensive cigar brands, is grown in the flat lands of San Juan y Martínez . Tourism is also an important part of the province's economy. Though the town of Pinar del Río (the provincial capital) has some places of cultural and historical interest (such as

228-664: The Battle of Buena Vista , by offering him $ 100,000 and "a very fine coffee plantation." Davis, to the great relief of his wife, turned him down but recommended one of his friends from the Mexican–American War , Major Robert E. Lee . Lee thought seriously about López's offer but eventually also decided not to become involved. Although López failed to recruit either rising star, he won the financial and political support of many influential Southerners, including Governor John A. Quitman of Mississippi ; former Senator John Henderson ; and

266-600: The Civil War broke out. In the wake of López's attack on Cuba, a string of filibusters launched attempts in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond, most notably William Walker . In 1854 southern socialite Lucy Pickens wrote a novel The Free Flag of Cuba which provided a romanticized account of the expedition. Narciso L%C3%B3pez Narciso López was born in Caracas , Venezuela , to a wealthy merchant family of Basque origin; his father

304-763: The Cuban flag for the first time. An expected uprising by Cuban revolutionaries did not occur and the filibusters rapidly fled back to Florida pursued by the Spanish Navy . Lopez, Quitman and others were prosecuted for violating the Neutrality Act but a jury in New Orleans, where they were wildly popular for their efforts, acquitted one of their conspirators and the remaining indictments were dropped. López immediately began efforts to launch another attempt, gathering financing and fresh recruits. This time Quitman kept his distance from

342-734: The Northern and the Southern United States . Many who did not support the expedition found the Spanish treatment of military prisoners to be brutal. The strongest reaction occurred in New Orleans , where a mob attacked the Spanish consulate. Despite its failure, López's expedition inspired other filibusters to attack all over Latin America throughout the 1850s, most notably William Walker 's invasions of Nicaragua in 1855 to 1860. Had he been successful, López could have profoundly altered politics in

380-446: The " roughnecks " had all been talked into leaving Round Island. López, his aide-de-camp Ambrosio José Gonzales, and most of the filibuster leadership were Freemasons who relied extensively on the international fraternity to accomplish their plans. Undeterred by that setback, López decided to plan a new filibuster and to focus his recruiting effort on the Southern United States . As a supporter of slavery himself, López realized

418-657: The Americas by giving a strong Caribbean foothold to the United States and spurring its further expansion. Instead, the failure of López and other filibusters discouraged Americans, especially in the South, from adopting expansionist strategies. Faced with the inability of slavery to move southward, many Southerners turned away from expansion and talked instead of secession , which led to the American Civil War . The flag of Cuba

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456-573: The Cathedral of San Rosendo, a 19th-century construction), most attractions are to be found in rural or natural settings. A major destination is the Viñales Valley , a karstic depression located in the Sierra de los Organos, north of the town of Viñales . Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999 because of its natural beauty and the traditional agricultural techniques which continue to be used in

494-507: The San Diego hot springs, in search of the health benefits reportedly afforded by the warm sulfur-rich waters there. An additional spectrum of health-related services has also become available at this spa, including massages and mud baths. Download coordinates as: Source: Population from 2022 estimates. Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution. Until 2011 the municipalities of Bahía Honda , Candelaria and San Cristóbal were part of

532-504: The Spanish at the Battle of Queseras del Medio (1819) and Carabobo (1821) against the forces for independence led by Simón Bolívar, José Antonio Páez and others. When the Spanish army withdrew in defeat to Cuba after the decisive Battle of Lake Maracaibo (1823), López, who had fought in this battle, left with them, as did many other survivors including Calixto García de Luna e Izquierdo , who would be grandfather of Cuban independence Major General Calixto García . In 1825, he married

570-589: The Western Army during the Cuban Missile Crisis). Accommodations in and near Viñales have also grown in number in response to growing tourism in the region. In addition to casas particulares (licensed bed and breakfasts in private residences), there are a number of hotels some kilometers from the town. Another major tourist destination in the province was Las Terrazas , a unique model village located 20 kilometer northeast of Soroa and, from 2011, part of

608-483: The advantages for the South of an independent Cuba. He and some Southerners hoped that Cuba would become a strong partner in slavery and perhaps, like Texas , join the Union as a slave state . He moved his headquarters to New Orleans and tried to gain popular support by recruiting influential men of the South to join his expedition. He solicited the military help of Senator Jefferson Davis , who had distinguished himself in

646-422: The city's Old Square . Most of the survivors were sentenced to hard labor in the quicksilver mines of Ceuta , a Spanish city in north Africa. In reaction mobs rioted in New Orleans , destroying the Spanish consulate and ransacking Spanish-owned shops. Despite the inflamed public mood in the south, the administration of Millard Fillmore was embarrassed by the failure to prevent the expedition from sailing in

684-547: The cultivation of tobacco and other crops there, the valley is a popular hiking and rock climbing location. Many of the valley's surrounding hills are dotted with caves which may be explored by visitors and spelunking has become another popular activity in the province (a particularly interesting cave is the Cueva de los Portales, beside the Río Caiguanabo, where Che Guevara set up his staff headquarters and dormitory as commander of

722-488: The easterly Sierra del Rosario and the westerly Sierra de los Órganos . These form a landscape characterised by steep sided limestone hills (called mogotes ) and flat, fertile valleys. One such topographic feature, the Viñales Valley , is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The northern coast opens to the great Gulf of Mexico , and is lined by the Colorados Archipelago , a string of cays and isles developed on

760-517: The editor of the New Orleans Delta , Laurence Sigur. López enlisted about 600 filibusters in his expedition and successfully reached Cuba in May 1850. His troops seized the town of Cárdenas , carrying a flag that López and Miguel Teurbe Tolón had designed, which later became the flag of Cuba . Nevertheless, the local support that he had hoped for failed to materialize when the fighting started. Much of

798-401: The filibusters in several engagements killing around two hundred and taking the rest prisoner. López compounded his problems by dividing his small force, with Crittenden operating separately before their defeat. The prisoners were taken to Havana where López was tried for treason and garroted in front of thousands of spectators. Crittenden and around fifty Americans were lined up and shot in

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836-578: The first place and confined itself to securing the release of remaining American prisoners still in Spanish hands. American attempts to acquire Cuba continued, set out in the Ostend Manifesto of 1854. Quitman also prepared a fresh filibustering expedition, this time with the tacit support of new President Franklin Pierce . Although this was called off under diplomatic pressure, and opposition by Northern free soilers , attempts to purchase Cuba continued until

874-554: The local population joined the Spanish against López, and he hastily retreated to Key West , where he disbanded the expedition within minutes of landing to avoid being prosecuted under the Neutrality Act of 1794 . In the aftermath of the expedition, López and many of his supporters were indicted by a federal grand jury . Although the indictments did not end in convictions, they forced Governor John Quitman to resign from his office and to face trial. Despite military and legal setbacks, López began planning another expedition, which met with

912-516: The local support that López had counted upon did not answer his appeals. Outnumbered and surrounded by Spanish forces, López and many men were captured. Crittenden's forces shared the same fate. The Spanish executed most of the prisoners and sent others to work in mining labor camps. Those executed included many Americans, such as Crittenden, and López in Castle La Punta of Havana . The execution of López and his soldiers caused outrage in both

950-447: The new Artemisa Province . Surrounded by mountains, the village was founded in 1971 as part of rural development and reforestation project which spans 5,000 ha (12,355 acres). As in other parts of the province, there are several hiking trails which weave through the surrounding mountains. Some companies offer guided hiking tours on a daily basis (in some areas, in fact, a guide is mandatory). With around 30 diving sites, Pinar del Río

988-606: The new capitan general, but he lost his post when the governorship changed hands in 1843. After failing in a few business ventures, he became a partisan of the anti-Spanish faction in Cuba. In 1848, during a Spanish arrest of Cuban revolutionaries, López fled to the United States . Once arrived López began planning a filibustering expedition from the United States to liberate Cuba. He made contact with influential American politicians, including John L. O'Sullivan , an expansionist who coined

1026-459: The other prisoners were executed. It was part of a string of filibustering raids launched from American territory during the era, in violation of the Neutrality Act . During the era of Manifest Destiny the territory of the United States expanded rapidly, most notably with the Mexican Cession of 1848. The same year President Polk made an offer to purchase Cuba for $ 100 million, which

1064-630: The plot. As before many of the recruits were veterans of the Mexican War , while a number of Hungarian exiles also enlisted. López gave command of a regiment of American volunteers to William Logan Crittenden , a nephew of the Attorney General John J. Crittenden . López never clarified whether the ultimate goal of the expedition was to be Cuban independence or annexation by America, drawing supporters of both outcomes into his movement. Inspired by news of uprisings breaking out in Cuba, López hurried

1102-583: The preparations of his fresh invasion. The expedition departed from New Orleans on 3 August 1851. By the time the expedition landed at Pinar del Río Province in western Cuba, the Spanish Army had already defeated the uprisings which had been more limited than American newspapers reported. Their leader Joaquín de Agüero was taken and executed. Well-prepared for López this time the Spanish troops under José Gutiérrez de la Concha , Captain General of Cuba , defeated

1140-456: The similar problems and even more disastrous consequences. In August 1851, López once again departed for Cuba with several hundred men (mostly Americans , Hungarians , Germans and some Cubans ). When he arrived, he took half of his expedition to march inland, and the other half, commanded by Colonel William Crittenden (a former US Army lieutenant), remained on the northern coast to protect supplies. As had occurred during his first attempt,

1178-737: The sister of the Count of Pozos Dulces in Cuba, María Dolores, with whom he had a son. Narciso López, who had earned the rank of colonel of the Spanish Army in Venezuela at only 31, fought in the First Carlist War . After the war, López continued to serve the Spanish government in several administrative posts, including the Cortes for Seville and as military governor in Madrid . López moved to Cuba as an assistant to

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1216-679: The term " manifest destiny ." López recruited Cuban exiles in New York City and other adventurers to his cause, and in 1849, his expedition was poised to embark: a troop of 600 volunteers had gathered on Round Island, Mississippi , with three ships chartered (two in New York and one in New Orleans) to transport them. However, US President Zachary Taylor , who had renounced filibustering as a valid means of US expansion, took steps against López and ordered his ships to be blockaded and seized. By September 9,

1254-412: Was Pedro Manuel López and his mother was Ana Paula de Oriola (sometimes spelled Urriola). He had one sister, Maria Asunción López. As a young teenager, he was forcibly recruited in 1814 by the ruthless Spanish General José Tomás Boves from the ranks of the defeated independence forces that had been abandoned by a fleeing Simón Bolívar at the city of Valencia . When still a young man, he fought for

1292-498: Was believed the climate would suit the introduction of slaves, but Cuba had the advantage of an existing plantation economy. The campaign to end Spanish rule in Cuba attracted support from a number of southern political figures who were later prominent Confederates including Jefferson Davis . The northern Democrat Stephen Douglas also supported annexation. Democrats made it a political issue, with Southern Whigs also loudly stating their commitment to taking Cuba. The cause of Cuba

1330-729: Was compared to that of the Texas Republic which had won its independence in 1836 before joining the United States. However, the new Whig administration renounced any plan to buy Cuba from Spain. Increasingly those who wished to acquire the island turned towards seizing Cuba by force. They received strong backing from Mississippi Governor John Quitman , who formed an alliance with the Venezuelan -born adventurer Narciso López . López had contacts with potential insurgents in Cuba, but many of them favoured full independence rather than annexation. An initial expedition in 1849 assembled near Pascagoula

1368-440: Was founded in 1879. In 1851 the filibustering Lopez Expedition landed in the province in an effort to seize control of the island, but were defeated by the Spanish Army and their leaders executed. Ever since tobacco was discovered by European colonists, the region has relied heavily on tobacco farming, with Pinar del Río producing 70% of Cuba's crop, used to make the famed Cuban cigars that are so prized overseas. Tobacco

1406-412: Was prevented from sailing by American authorities. Shifting his base from New York City to New Orleans where there was much greater support for filibustering, López launched a second expedition in 1850. His attempts to persuade Jefferson Davis, John Quitman or Robert E. Lee to take command were rejected, and López oversaw it himself. Reaching Cárdenas he landed, burned the governor's mansion and raised

1444-471: Was rejected by Spain. Cuba was particularly coveted by Southern supporters of slavery, who believed that Cuba with its large population of slaves would bolster the political strength of the slave states if it were admitted to the Union. It was estimated Cuba would have thirteen or fifteen representatives in Congress . There were similar ambitions towards states of northern Mexico such as Tamaulipas , where it

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